Bucs vs. Cardinals Prediction
Will the Cardinals cover as a small home underdog when they host the Buccaneers at 4:05PM ET?
The Odds: According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cardinals are 1.5-point home underdogs versus the Bucs after this game opened as a pick’em. The total, meanwhile, hit the board at 44.5 but has been bet up to 46 at the majority of online sports books.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven road games, but are 1-5 against the spread in their last six games overall and 1-4 at the betting window in their last five conference games. They’re also winless at 0-5 against the spread in their last five games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game. As of this writing, 64% of the betting public is backing Tampa Bay to cover this afternoon.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals have had success at the betting window in recent meetings between these two teams, cashing in five of the last seven games. Still, they’re just 1-5 against the spread in their last six home games, are 0-4 against the number in their last four games versus NFC opponents, and are 6-18 at the betting window in their last 24 games overall.
WHO COVERS: This line doesn’t make any sense. The Cardinals were throttled by the Eagles last week in Philadelphia but that alone shouldn’t make Arizona a home underdog against an underachieving (so far, at least) Tampa Bay team. Adrian Peterson isn’t going to make fans forget about David Johnson but he should also give the Cardinals running game a boost. Peterson wasn’t a fit in New Orleans but he still has a little juice left in those legs. He just needs to line up behind a fullback and hammer the ball in between the tackles 20-plus times. Jamies Winston hasn’t shown that he can avoid back-breaking mistakes yet this season, so I’ll fade the Bucs as a road favorite today. (Check out our advanced matchup report for this game out our Scores & Matchup page.)
NFL WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS: ARIZONA CARDINALS +1.5